


punch-drunk

by yestoday



Category: VICTON (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Porn With Plot, and college too, bad words, is kinda trashy, it's no longer implied, the werewolf au no one asked for, with some a/b/o thrown in For Fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-12-31 06:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12126288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yestoday/pseuds/yestoday
Summary: Wherein Byungchan tries to have a very platonic fake relationship with Sejun so everybody else will back off, but it backfires spectacularly.Perhaps life is just more complicated when you're a werewolf.





	punch-drunk

**Author's Note:**

> no one wanted this. i just wrote it on a whim. victon and crazy aus, anyone?
> 
> a reminder that if this might make you uncomfortable or you are not yet ready to have your innocence tarnished, just don't read and leave happy!
> 
> if it's not clear enough, byungchan is an omega and sejun is an alpha. sejun's family is head of the local pack, and he's next in line, but byungchan's family is 'loner' or 'rogue' so they're not bonded to any pack.

When it happens, they’re at their favorite local dinner sharing a mountain of fries and a strawberry milkshake with two straws, while simultaneously having an argument about why, exactly, Ash Ketchum never grew up.

“Listen, it’s symbolic, okay?” Sejun insists. “Age is just a cultural label. Maybe he’s not really ‘ten’, but they call him ten because he’s just at that level of maturity. You know?”

“That made zero sense,” Byungchan scrunches up his eyebrows, bewildered. “I still think he’s in a coma. That’s _logical_. I can totally see that happening, and then in like twenty years the anime directors are just like, “Okay, it’s time.” And then there’s a big cinematic reveal.”

“Which would crush the dreams of every person in the world who grew up watching that show,” Sejun points out. “No, they’re still trying to make money.”

Byungchan takes a large gulp of the milkshake in preparation to argue his point further, but he’s interrupted when someone else walks up to their table.

“Hi,” the newcomer flashes a grin. His scent gives him away as an alpha, and across the table Byungchan sees Sejun sit up a little straighter. _Alphas and their pride._

“I work here on weekends, and I always see you come in,” the guy says, ostensibly to Byungchan. “You caught my eye. What do you say to a date tomorrow?”

Byungchan gives him the most apologetic smile he can muster. “Um, sorry, but I’m not interested right now.”

“Really?” the guy cocks an eyebrow. “But I can smell you, clear as day.”

This is usually the part where Byungchan turns bright red and stutters his reply, but luckily for him Sejun cuts in before he can.

“He said no,” the alpha says brusquely. “Just because biology says otherwise, doesn’t mean he wants to. Now please leave.”

For a second, the guy looks like he might argue, but one look at Sejun’s expression and he’s backing away from the table.

Once he’s gone, Byungchan exhales a breath. “Wow. Okay. That was…”

“What an asshole,” Sejun mutters, breaking a fry in half harshly. “Some people have no fucking respect. They think just because they’re alphas and you’re an omega…” He stops speaking suddenly, fixing Byungchan with his gaze.

“How many times has it happened, again?”

Byungchan shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant. “I think that might’ve been the fourteenth this week? Since I… um, matured, that is.”

This time, the omega can’t fight the blush creeping up his face. He’s never talked about his first heat with Sejun, even though they have been friends since preschool. It’s just a little difficult to bring it up, especially because Sejun is an alpha and Byungchan is definitely not.

He’d matured about two months ago, and ever since then there have been alphas and betas of all kinds trying to hit on him, in school and on the streets and anywhere else. Byungchan gets it, a little bit, because his scent is much more potent now and more _attractive,_ but still it makes him uncomfortable with how they look at him.

Omegas don’t have it good in this world, that’s for sure.

“That’s just ridiculous,” Sejun grumbles. “What will it take people to leave you alone?”

“At this point, I might have to just go get mated,” Byungchan jokes, trying to lighten the mood. He doesn’t expect his friend to suddenly stiffen up and crush the remnants of the fry between his fingers.

“That’s more ridiculous,” Sejun furrows his brow. “That stuff is for life.”

“I was kidding,” Byungchan reminds him. “I wouldn’t do that. My mom would kill me.”

At that, Sejun cracks a smile. “True. Your mom is pretty scary.”

He glances at the clock on the wall, and the corners of his mouth dip into a frown. “Ah. Sadly, duty calls.”

Byungchan follows his line of vision and pouts. “Already? I’m pretty sure that clock is broken.”

Sejun stands up, stretching his arms above his head. “Sorry Byung. Paperwork and phone calls await me. See you on Tuesday?”

Byungchan can only nod dejectedly as Sejun ruffles his hair and then exits the diner, heading back home to do his future-head-alpha business. 

* * *

Byungchan wouldn’t say that it’s gotten lonelier after Sejun dropped out of schooling so he could learn the ways of being head alpha. Sejun still makes time to see him, texts him good morning and goodnight every day. They still have their movie nights and Byungchan still spends one-third of his time at Sejun’s house. 

But sometimes, he really wishes that Sejun was around, especially in college.

It’s lunchtime, and Byungchan is at one of the college’s many overpriced cafes with his friends Hanse and Subin. They don’t take the same major, between the three of time, but their schedules still line up pretty nicely, allowing them to have lunch together at least every other day.

Hanse is a beta who lives in the campus dorms, his own family part of a pack that’s several states away. He’d skulked around by his lonesome for the better part of his first year, until Subin had joined the college after skipping a couple grades. Even Hanse was no match for the small omega’s natural cuteness and enthusiasm, and so the three of them had become fast friends.

It’s all going well and normal, until a tall, eager-faced alpha shows up at their table. It’s the same song and dance with this one, except he’s particularly persistent, and Byungchan is running out of excuses. “I’m not interested” apparently isn’t a good enough reason to say no. Sometimes Byungchan really hates society.

So, out of pure exasperation and repressed frustration at the shit that the combination of mother nature and the unspoken rules of civilization makes him go through, he throws the next one that pops up in his mind without sparing a thought for any repercussions whatsoever.

“I have a boyfriend!” Byungchan blurts. The alpha looks at him, bemused. Well, Byungchan would be confused too, like ‘ _why didn’t he just say that from the start?’_.

“You don’t smell like you do…” he points out skeptically.

“I haven’t seen him in a while,” Byungchan continues, spinning a wild tale. “He’s very busy, training to be the head alpha of the local pack and everything.” Where did that come from?

The alpha balks at those words. “You’re dating _Im Sejun?”_ Silently, Byungchan thanks the heavens that he chose to share his crayons with his current best friend all those years ago in preschool.

“Oh, I’m glad you know him. Yes I am, and you don’t want to get on his bad side do you?” Byungchan isn’t entirely sure where he’s finding these words from, but they seem to work because the next second, the alpha is excusing himself and leaving the cafe in a hurry.

“Okay, I’m calling bullshit,” Subin says, giving Byungchan a judgemental look. “Since when were you dating Sejun?”

“Yeah, last I checked in, you were still doing the whole oblivious thing,” Hanse adds in his two cents.

“Well, that’s the thing. I’m not actually dating him,” Byungchan admits, but he shrugs. “It doesn’t matter what I tell one guy. No one else will know.”

“You severely underestimate the strength of the grapevine at this university,” Hanse informs him, shaking his head. Subin looks at him sadly like he’s trying to decide what kind of flowers to get him for his funeral.

It turns out that Hanse is right (damn it, he hates when Hanse’s right).  The next day, Byungchan is approached by no less than twelve people, both male and female, asking about his supposed relationship with the future head alpha. It gets to the point where he has to actually sit back and reevaluate his previous impression of the rumor mills at the college. This is _scary._

When Byungchan gets a rather cryptic message at the end of the day from Sejun, asking him to come by in the evening, he’s sort of expecting it. It’s a small town, after all, and three-quarters its population belongs to Sejun’s pack. Byungchan’s family just so happens to be in that outlying one-quarter.

However, when he gets to Sejun’s house, stopping to chat with his mother on his way to the alpha’s room, Byungchan truly doesn’t expect what happens next. He sits down on Sejun’s bed, like he’d done a hundred times before, and then Sejun turns to face him, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“What am I going to do with you?” Sejun sighs, and proceeds to pull his hoodie off, leaving him in just his jeans.

“Whoa, whoa!” Byungchan scrambles backward on Sejun’s bed, face flushing red immediately. “What are you _doing?_ ” _Shit, he’s definitely been working out…_

Sejun tosses the hoodie at him. “Wear that to school tomorrow. If you’re going to go around saying you’re my boyfriend, you might as well smell like it.”

“Oh, that,” Byungchan winces a little. He folds the hoodie and sets it aside, just for something to do. “Yes. Um. I’m sorry?”

To his surprise, Sejun just shrugs. “It’s whatever. If it keeps people from hitting on you and making you uncomfortable, I don’t mind.”

“So I can… keep telling people that?” Byungchan ventures tentatively, treading on thin ice. In response, Sejun shrugs again, taking the whole situation more calmly than Byungchan thought he would.

“Sure. We’re fake-dating now, then. No biggie.”

He reaches over to rifle through the shelf next to his bed, and Byungchan’s brain barely avoids short-circuiting because he definitely doesn’t remember Sejun looking like this the last time he saw him shirtless. Granted, that had been several years ago, but Byungchan had certainly not expected the defined lean muscles, the tautness of his milky skin and the light happy trail leading down...

Byungchan coughs, abruptly, tearing his eyes off his alpha friend. Sejun thankfully doesn’t seem to notice, preoccupied with whatever it is he’s seeking on his shelf. The omega takes the time to quickly recollect himself and forcefully extract his mind from the gutter. He really doesn’t want his pheromones to get out of control, because then Sejun can definitely smell him and derive what exactly is going on.

“So!” Sejun turns back to him, his usual smile on his face. “Since you’re here, how do you feel about a round of Mario Kart?” he waves the game case around, his spoils of war from his shelf.

Glad for the distraction, Byungchan jumps up. “You’re on,” he does a lame little finger gun at Sejun (alright, maybe he still hasn’t recovered from the shock). Sejun just laughs and goes to pop the disc into his Xbox.

Byungchan busies himself collecting the controllers from where they’re kept in Sejun’s desk drawer, pointedly not watching the way the alpha’s back muscles move as he plugs the Xbox console into the TV hanging on his wall.

It’s only after Sejun grabs one of the controllers from Byungchan and sits back on his bed, maneuvering to the game’s home screen, that the taller boy finally realizes that Sejun isn’t planning on _putting on a damn shirt._ He doesn’t know why he’d thought it would happen. After all this time, Sejun probably feels comfortable enough around Byungchan, but the latter really _can’t_ handle this.

“Come on,” Sejun points his controller at Byungchan, “You backing out already?”

“You wish,” Byungchan answers with as much false bravado as he can manage, taking a seat next to Sejun. Who’s shirtless. On his bed. Byungchan’s mind is already fighting as hard as it can to return to the gutter.

It doesn’t end up being a good day for Byungchan. This is partially because when Sejun plays games, he gets riled up, which means that he’s moving a lot and his muscles keep contracting and relaxing. Byungchan finds this really fucking distracting, his gaze wandering as he sneaks glances at Sejun.

It’s also partially because Im Sejun is a real _dick_.

“I can’t believe you blue-shelled me,” Byungchan is fuming several minutes later. “ _Twice_. You fucker.”

Sejun shrugs, but he’s grinning from ear to ear. “I had to do what I had to do. I have no regrets.”

“I’m never playing with you ever again,” Byungchan proclaims, setting his controller down. “You’re that guy who ends all his own relationships.”

“Aww, but Byung,” Sejun coos, suddenly pouncing and pushing Byungchan down onto the bed on his back. The omega lets out a rather unmanly squeal as he’s manhandled until Sejun has both his arms pinned to the bed, hovering above him with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You wouldn’t leave me just because I won, would you?”

Byungchan takes a moment to answer, mainly because he’s out of breath but also because Sejun is really close, holy fuck. This is so novel, he swears it’s never happened before even after their most intense rounds of Mario Kart.

“Yeah I freaking would, let me go dumbass,” Byungchan grumbles, trying to push Sejun off in vain. He stops when Sejun shifts so he’s straddling his hips, and just focuses on fighting the blush that’s about to take over his face and the pheromones threatening to slip out of his control. It doesn’t help at _all_ that Sejun still has no shirt on.

“You’re so mean to me,” Sejun pouts mockingly. “As your fake boyfriend, I’m hurt.”

“Sadly I do still need your hoodie, otherwise I would dump your ass right now,” Byungchan sniffs, pointedly turning his face away. This backfires right on him (go figure), because Sejun snickers.

“Ooh baby Byungchan is upset!” he teases, poking Byungchan’s cheek. “Not going to kiss me now, are you?” Sejun leans his face down until it’s just centimetres away from Byungchan’s.

Unwittingly, Byungchan turns his head and meets Sejun’s gaze. In that moment, the illusion seems to shatter and _shit,_ Byungchan thinks, _shit what the hell is going on?_ Sejun seems to share the sentiment, because a moment later his eyes go wide and his grip loosens until his touch is basically feather-light on Byungchan’s skin. There’s a tense silence for about two whole seconds.

“You’re so fucking weird,” Byungchan snorts, breaking it because he can’t stand awkwardness. He sits up easily now that Sejun has stopped applying pressure, keeping his eyes on Sejun’s and _willing_ him to play along. “Why are we friends?”

Luckily for him, Sejun gets the hint, but he does avert his gaze to stare down at the floor. “ _You’re_ the weird one in this friendship. Going around telling people we’re dating.”

“Hey, you know why I had to do that,” Byungchan retorts, but it’s without any malice. Sejun looks up at him after another moment, usual cheerful grin back in place.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re too popular, I get it,” he shoves Byungchan lightly. “At least you still make time for me, your best friend in the entire world.”

“So he self-proclaimed,” Byungchan mumbles, but it’s not quiet enough to avoid getting a smack on the arm from Sejun.

Byungchan leaves Sejun’s house more at ease than when he’d gotten there, cradling the alpha’s hoodie in his arms.

* * *

When Byungchan goes to lecture the next day wearing Sejun’s hoodie, he knows he’s getting looks from the wolves that are part of the local pack. The smell on the hoodie is potent, and he knows this best because he’d spent the whole night breathing in the oddly comforting, strawberry-scented musk. It was so Sejun, sometimes Byungchan had to remind himself that the alpha wasn’t sleeping over at his house.

He shares a General Economics class with Subin, who takes it for the credits. When he sits down on the usual seat that Subin saves for him in the lecture hall, the younger boy gives him a strange look.

“Um, no offense, but you definitely didn’t smell like that yesterday,” Subin points out bluntly. Belatedly, Byungchan remembers that Subin’s family is also part of Sejun’s pack, meaning they’re very familiar with that particular scent.

“Yeah, well,” Byungchan forces himself to stay chill and seem casual. “I… needed a hoodie, you know.”

It’s the dumbest excuse he could’ve ever come up with, since he alone owns more hoodies than probably half of the college's student population combined, and he knows it. So does Subin, and on any other occasion the other omega would’ve called him out on it, except that the professor chooses that moment to start the lecture and Subin really needs to pass this class, so he just shakes his head and starts taking notes.

Byungchan goes through his day like that, receiving the odd surprised look from his peers. No one questions him on it, though, and the best part? No one tries to hit on him either. It might be the best day he’s had in months.

The slightest hitch comes unexpectedly in the form of his own mother, who happens to be home when Byungchan gets back from school. He isn’t expecting her presence when he walks into the kitchen, and so he hadn’t thought to change his clothes first.

“Is that Sejun’s hoodie?” his mother asks him conversationally, chewing on an apple at the kitchen counter. She’s dressed for work, which means that she, too, probably just got home.

“Uh, yeah,” Byungchan freezes, wondering how he should explain this to his mother. Maybe ignorance is bliss…?

To his surprise, she doesn’t probe further, just hums in understanding and finishes her apple. As she’s leaving the kitchen, she reaches over to pat Byungchan’s head and says, “It’s about time.”

That just leaves Byungchan with a lot of questions and no answers. His mother is eccentric like that sometimes, and he’s used to it after growing up with it. However, sometimes Byungchan can’t for the life of him figure her cryptic statements out.

He chooses not to dwell on it, instead heading to the fridge to hunt for some sustenance.

* * *

Byungchan is just beginning to enjoy his newfound freedom from the woes of being a matured unmated omega, when one day his friend Yoobin poses an unforeseen question when they’re packing up after a Human Resource Management class.

“Hey, Byungchan. I don’t mean to pry, but… people have been saying stuff and I was getting worried so I thought it better to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.” At this point, Byungchan can already begin to guess what Yoobin’s talking about and braces himself for the worst.

“Did you and Im Sejun break up?” Yoobin’s face is genuinely concerned, not a trace of malice in her tone or expression.

Well, it’s better than the ‘Are you and Im Sejun faking your relationship?’ that Byungchan had been expecting, but still he flounders for a response.

“Uh, no,” he manages after a couple seconds. “What, um, what gave you that idea?”

Yoobin shrugs, now looking apologetic. “Sorry for assuming. It’s just… you don’t smell like him anymore and some people just took it the wrong way I guess. I’ll make sure to set them straight if I hear them talking about it.”

Byungchan leaves class deep in thought, more concerned than annoyed. He can’t control the gossip floating around school, and people will talk no matter what he does. The price of living in a small town.

However, if they’re starting to think that he and Sejun are no longer together, that might well pose a problem when he’s trying to ward off would-be suitors. Sure, he can still say they’re dating, but he’d no longer be able to enjoy the protection that Sejun’s scent afforded him.

With this in mind, Byungchan decides to pay a visit to Sejun’s house after he’s done with school for the day. He’d just seen the alpha yesterday for movie night, but this calls for drastic measures.

In retrospect, he really should've realized. One of the Im family's maids had told him that Sejun was in the gym, which means that Byungchan honestly could have made better mental preparations.

He's been in the gym, built into the basement of the house, a couple of times before. It was mainly when Sejun had dragged him there kicking and screaming, but those times he'd been so preoccupied with trying not to die on the treadmill that he hadn't had time to notice his surroundings.

Now, Byungchan bursts into the gym, fully prepared to ramble about how people suck and he wants to scent-block his way through life regardless of the side effects. He is, however, _not_ prepared for the sight of Sejun doing pull-ups on the bar, the muscles in his arms tense with the effort. 

He's all sweaty too, beads of liquid rolling down the sides of his face, shirt completely soaked through. It messes with his scent too, making it thicker and somehow spicier. The combination makes Byungchan's head spin. 

"Oh, hey baby-Byung," Sejun notices him in the mirror and carefully sets himself down on the floor. "What's up?"

Have those veins in his arms always been so... visible? It's getting a little hot in the gym, in Byungchan's opinion. They probably need more ventilation.

"First, stop calling me that, it's been years," Byungchan croaks out, gathering his wits. He seems to be losing them a lot around Sejun recently. "Secondly, why are you working out now? Third, it's a total crisis, people think we've broken up."

"One, you'll always be baby-Byung to me. Two, why not?" Sejun grins, swiveling around to face Byungchan. His hair flops in front of his eyes, dripping with sweat and definitely very unattractive. Definitely. "Three, oh no, whatever shall we do now?"

"Really, though. I was so surprised when someone asked me after class," Byungchan frowns, watching as a rivulet of water paves its way down Sejun's smooth neck. 

"Looks like you'll need more clothes then," Sejun suggests, stretching his calf. "I've got some upstairs. Or..." his face twists into an odd expression that Byungchan can't place.

"Or?" He prompts.

"I could scent you more permanently," Sejun explains, voice just a little tighter and eyes more distracted. "It involves a bit more... intimacy but it'll definitely work better than you just wearing my clothes."

"Alright sure, what's the plan then?" Byungchan is game immediately. That sounds pretty perfect to him.

Sejun shoots him a rather crooked grin. "I need a shower. And you can join me."

It takes a little while for Byungchan's stunned spluttering to fade away so that Sejun can properly explain himself. Go figure, there is actually a proper explanation.

"It's something that pack members do when they have to quickly scent one of their own," Sejun speaks as he grabs his gym towel and leads Byungchan up the stairs towards his room. "They just take a shower together because it's easier, and most of the time it'll be someone scenting their mate, bringing them into the pack. For some reason the pheromone transfers better in hot steam."

He holds the door open for Byungchan, simultaneously giving him an appraising look. "This probably won't be a quick thing though. We want it to last longer." 

It's not like Byungchan and Sejun have never taken showers together before. It's just that they stopped around the age of five, and back then they were more occupied with splashing water at each other than this whole scenting business.

Right now, though, Sejun is pulling his shirt off with purpose. He glances at Byungchan, "So?" 

And well, Byungchan can't find it in himself to say no.

That's how he finds himself averting his eyes as Sejun strips and steps into the adjoining bathroom. Byungchan follows him, making quick work of tossing his own clothes to the floor and trying not to think about the many possible scenarios that could evolve from him being naked in a shower with his equally naked and very hot best friend.

Sejun turns the hot spray on, stepping underneath it with a soft sigh of relief. Byungchan directs his wandering eyes to a spot on the shower wall, refusing to look at the little drops of water sliding down Sejun's back in a way that should absolutely be illegal.

"Come here, let me wash your hair," Sejun instructs, and Byungchan complies mindlessly. "This'll help the scent transfer."

Objectively, Byungchan knows that, and he is also very aware that it's the only reason they're even doing this in the first place. But Sejun's fingers are also very warm and gentle, so Byungchan really can't help the spike of arousal that punches him in the gut when Sejun runs them through his hair.

His skin colors red, but Sejun doesn't show any form of reaction to the appearance of the new scent, save for the little smile that quirks up the corners of his lips. He winds his long fingers through Byungchan's shampooed hair, pulling lightly to let him know that he can step under the shower spray.

It takes all of Byungchan's willpower to best the low groan threatening to make its way up his throat. Sue him for having the tiniest measure of not-so-innocent thoughts about Sejun's fingers and Sejun pulling his hair, okay?

"You okay there?" Sejun sounds amused, the little shit. He likes teasing people by nature, and Byungchan has never been an exception to it all these years.

"Of course," Byungchan replies quickly. "Uh..."

Sejun shrugs his shoulders, "Scenting gets intimate. It happens." He doesn't seem weirded out at all by Byungchan's odd half-aroused state. 

Lucky for Byungchan, nothing else that could question the innocence of his thoughts while showering with his best friend happens during the course of said shower, except for a particularly tense moment when Sejun had very innocuously asked Byungchan to wash his back for him because his 'muscles are all tired from the gym and I don't want to move so far'. Byungchan had run his fingers down the broad expanse of Sejun's bare back, far too fascinated by the way his muscles shift and tense up than is probably appropriate.

When Byungchan rubs at the small of Sejun's back, he thinks he hears the alpha let slip a soft moan. The thought makes him smile. And then makes him question his own morality, because there should be nothing sexual about this entire situation and yet...

They finish their shower and Byungchan steps out first to get dressed. Just purely out of instinct, he glances over his shoulder, feeling someone watching him. Sejun is staring at him, eyes dark with an emotion Byungchan can't quite place.

"What?" Byungchan blinks rapidly at him, thoroughly confused. 

Sejun clears his throat. "Has anyone ever told you..." he lets his gaze sweep over Byungchan's body, head to toe, which makes the tall omega start. "That your ass is really flat?"

"Hey!" The mess of emotions in Byungchan's mind immediately distills down to a single one: annoyance. "You're a jerk," he grumbles, wrapping a towel around his waist as he heads over to pick up his clothes.

Sejun's laughter is uproarious behind him. "Just telling it like it is." He doesn't say anything else while they get dressed, and neither does Byungchan because well he's still miffed.

The feeling is only amplified when Sejun sidles up to him after they're done changing, a smirk gracing his lips. "C'mon, let's go get food, flatass." He ends the sentiment by smacking Byungchan on the ass, causing him to yelp and jump about a foot in the air.

"I don't know why I'm friends with you," Byungchan complains the entire way to the diner.

* * *

Another week goes by. In that time, the full moon also arrives and Byungchan makes sure to take the wolfsbane pill that turns him into a harmless creature for the night. He knows that the packs go running instead of eating wolfsbane, so when it all adds up he doesn't see Sejun again until two days after the full moon passes.

In fact, he hadn't even been planning to see Sejun until the weekend for their movie marathon, but it's a Thursday evening when he walks out of his lecture to find the alpha leaning against the wall outside, flicking through his phone. Sejun looks good, in a white sweater and black ripped skinnies, a black beanie pulled over his dyed blonde hair, the scent of an alpha radiating off him in waves.

Evidently, Byungchan isn't the only one who thinks so, judging by the covert looks both guys and girls alike send his way as they pass by. Even though Sejun isn't necessarily reciprocating, Byungchan still feels a weird little flash of _something_. Green and ugly, clawing at his insides.

It's not the brightest idea Byungchan's ever had, but he does it anyway, walking up to Sejun and wrapping both his arms around the alpha's waist. Sejun looks up in surprise, but grins at him, slipping his phone into his back pocket.

"Hey baby-Byung," he greets, "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Were you waiting for me?" Byungchan questions, shifting back so Sejun can stand up straight.

His best friend's grin widens. "Felt like getting dinner. You hungry?" 

Upon closer inspection, Byungchan realizes that there are dark shadows under Sejun's eyes, a tired gleam in his eyes that he tries to mask with his smile. He gets it, immediately, because he's seen it before. "Pack stuff getting hard?" he purses his lips, worried now.

Sejun tries to shrug it off. "Eh. The usual. Wanna get pizza?"

Byungchan doesn't push it, instead just nodding his assent. He allows Sejun to lead the way, one hand somehow ending up linked with Byungchan's. It's like their childhood again, and Byungchan can't help but swing their joined arms like a kid.

"You're literally such a child," Sejun doesn't sound chastising, just amused. He lets Byungchan do it all the way to the pizza place near the omega's house.

They order their pizza and just talk, about anything and everything, like they haven't been able to do in a while. Byungchan is all too happy to distract the older boy, doing everything he can to take Sejun's mind off whatever it was bothering him. He'll tell Byungchan about it eventually, maybe after it's all over, maybe sooner.

The two of them leave the pizza place in high spirits, but it goes downhill when Byungchan hears a catcall whizzing across the road. He flinches, not really wanting to see who it was, but Sejun is already stopping and turning to glare at the whistler.

It's not just one, but a group of rowdy half-drunk alphas and betas emerging from the bar across the street. It's hardly late enough for them to all be smashed, but Byungchan supposes they're bar-hopping in hopes of picking up an omega. Just his luck.

"Hey beautiful," the one who'd catcalled yells over. "Why don't you ditch blondie and come over for some fun?"

Byungchan cringes and tugs on Sejun's elbow, trying to get him to move. "Come on, let's go, I don't want-"

But Sejun's eyes have gone a dark ruby red, and he takes a step towards the group. "Assholes," he mutters. "I'm going to fucking-"

"Don't!" Byungchan pulls Sejun back, mustering every ounce of his strength. He really doesn't want to see Sejun get into a fight. He hates seeing blood, but he's hated seeing Sejun bleed the most, right from when they were kids. "Let's just go, ignore them."

It doesn't help that some the group has joined in, wolf-whistling and egging the first guy on. It takes a fuck-ton of self-restraint just for Byungchan to keep himself from going over and decking him in the groin, while holding Sejun back too.

"Come here, baby!" the guy is clearly drunk out of his mind, because any sane person would've retreated at the snarl that ripped itself from Sejun's throat.

"He doesn't get to call you that," Sejun growls. Byungchan thinks he's about to wolf out and pounce on the guy, but instead Sejun swivels around to face Byungchan.

In seconds, he's got both arms wrapped around Byungchan's neck and his lips coming closer and oh. _Oh_.

Byungchan has thought about kissing Sejun, fantasies playing out in his head, each one edging on more dangerous territory than the last. He'll admit it out loud only under extreme duress, but this is different. This is harsh and purposeful, the way Sejun attacks his mouth and nips at his lower lip. It feels  _good_ , but it also screams _possessiveness_ and ' _mine_ ' and Byungchan's gears are turning so fast in his head that he can hardly stand to keep up.

Sejun pulls away and glances over his shoulder only when the more sober members of the group had dragged their friends away. Meanwhile, Byungchan is still dazed, his hand coming up to touch his lips in bewilderment. He... he kind of wants more.

Sejun is silent on the walk back to Byungchan's house, which is good because Byungchan is still half in shock. A small part of his brain wants to sit down and overanalyze everything that just happened. A significantly larger part of his brain wants him to jump on Sejun and kiss him breathless.

He tampers that part down while he unlocks his front door and lets them into the house, heading for his room. Thankfully his parents seem to be fast asleep already, so they're not interrupted on their way up.

Once in Byungchan's room, Sejun sits on his desk chair and fixes his gaze on the omega. "Sorry about that," his voice is a low husky whisper. Byungchan tries not to let it affect him. "I shouldn't have done that."

"It's... okay," Byungchan answers, picking his words cautiously. "It was nice, actually."

"What, being catcalled at and treated like a piece of meat?" Sejun scoffs, but he's not angry at Byungchan, not at all.

"Not that, of course," Byungchan grimaces. "The... kiss."

It's overwhelmingly silent for a few moments, like Sejun doesn't know how to respond. He settles on an uncertain, "Oh." finally. 

Then he clears his throat ostentatiously and folds his legs on the chair. "So, I think my scent might be wearing off again?"

Half-grateful for the subject change, half-disappointed, Byungchan has to agree. "Yeah. You got any other tricks?"

"Just one," Sejun can't quite meet his eyes. "It's more intimate than any of the other methods, and it even wears off faster, but the scent is about ten times more potent."

"Nice," Byungchan lays on his bed, stomach-down. "When do I get to be scented, then?"

"You're coming over for the weekend anyway, right?" Sejun looks at Byungchan to confirm this, relaxing a little when the younger nods assent. "We can do it then."

"You going to tell me what it is?" Byungchan poses the question curiously.

"No, it's hard to explain. I'll just show you," Sejun looks like he's getting some of his nerve back. Byungchan is kind of glad. He likes when Sejun is carefree and happy.

"Hey," the alpha continues, tilting his head in thought. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Are you trying to show your flat ass off to the world?" Sejun smirks, gesturing at Byungchan's position. A pillow promptly smacks him in the face.

"Get out of my home!"

"You love me, baby-Byung."

And quite suddenly, without any forethought whatsoever, Byungchan thinks,  _yeah I do._

* * *

Perhaps the realization that he's in love with his best friend has been in the making for years. 

Maybe it started way back in middle school, when Sejun got in trouble for punching a kid who'd pushed Byungchan over in the playground. And maybe it grew in high school, when Sejun threw an entire party for Byungchan when he got valedictorian, and brought a huge sign with Byungchan's face on it to graduation, waving it around while Byungchan flushed red giving his speech. Maybe it set in, finally, a while ago when Sejun agreed to help Byungchan without batting an eyelid, giving him his scent to hide behind.

Either way, it's a tricky situation for Byungchan to be in. He doesn't know what to do at this point.

It really does not help when he shows up at Sejun's house on Saturday morning to find the alpha stripping out of his shirt and laying down on his bed.

"Take your shirt off and come here," Sejun tells him, and Byungchan can barely comprehend it all.

"Uh, hi to you too," he squeaks, closing the door behind him. "What are we doing?"

"I'm scenting you," Sejun answers in his 'duh' voice. "Come on, hurry up, I wanna get to our Disney marathon."

And so, that's how Byungchan finds himself pulling his hoodie off over his head, dropping it to the floor and joining Sejun on the bed. He's very sure that Sejun can hear the uptick of his heartbeat, especially when he rolls over so that he's straddling Byungchan (again?! This definitely isn't doing great things for Byungchan's blood pressure).

"I'm going to use the scent glands around my mouth this time," Sejun informs him, his own voice steady as he places careful hands on Byungchan's abdomen. "The scent will stick to you like a second layer, instead of being absorbed by your skin like last time. That means it's stronger, but will also wear off faster."

Byungchan tries to understand all this, but his mind is still stuck on the word 'mouth'. How exactly...

Sejun drops a kiss onto the skin right underneath Byungchan's eye, and suddenly he knows where this is going. _Well fuck._

As Sejun begins kissing his way across Byungchan's skin, peppering little pecks all down his jawline, Byungchan privately thinks that this must be a new form of torture in hell. Having to exercise every gram of his willpower just to keep himself from allowing his pheromones to run free or even just popping a boner while Sejun is pressed against him... this is the devil's work, he's sure of it.

It gets worse when Sejun starts kissing down his collarbone. Byungchan is sensitive there and he knows it, so he comforts himself with the thought that he couldn't have stopped it when a low moan slips out of his throat.

Sejun barely pauses at the sound, but Byungchan swears it's not his imagination when the alpha begins applying more pressure behind his kisses.

It spins totally out of Byungchan's control when Sejun reaches his pectorals and presses a kiss dangerously close to the bud of his nipple. Byungchan makes an undignified little whimpering sound, which makes Sejun smile against his skin, and then dig his teeth gently into the spot.

Byungchan pops a boner.

He's not proud of it, but Sejun is a teasing little fucker and he can't help it, the way Sejun's bare skin is practically molded to his own, the heat between their bodies overwhelming and the softness of Sejun's lips just _too fucking close_. 

He knows that Sejun can feel it, because he's right there and he pulls away to glance down at where he's basically sitting on Byungchan. There's a full-blown smirk on his face, and Byungchan wants to whine that it's not funny, he's actually hard enough to be uncomfortable in his jeans, but he feels that might be inappropriate right now.

"It happens," is all Sejun says before he goes right back to kissing down Byungchan's abdomen.

At this point, Byungchan really can't quite help himself anymore, and quiet groans escape his mouth as Sejun makes his way down, right to birth of his happy trail. He rests his lips above the hemline of Byungchan's jeans for a second, before looking up at the omega's face with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You need some help?"

Well shit, of all the possible words that could have slipped out of Sejun's mouth, Byungchan truly doesn't expect these. "Sorry?" he chokes out, suddenly finding it all too difficult to even breathe properly.

"You know..." Sejun makes a ring with his fingers, miming pumping the air... or in this situation, Byungchan's dick, he supposes. "Friendly brojob?"

"Please don't ever say that again, please," Byungchan closes his eyes, feeling his head start to swim. It's a miracle he'd ever managed to keep up with Im Sejun as a best friend for so many years.

He feels more than hears Sejun laugh, the sound reverberating through his chest. The alpha is still _so_ unfairly close. It's beyond Byungchan as to how he's even still functioning properly.

"You... you'd want to?" he cracks open an eye, looking down at Sejun.

The alpha looks all too smug, it's _annoying_. "Well I did cause it, and I don't want to blue-balls my bestie," he replies, voice light and teasing. "Plus, cum is a really great scent-marker you know."

Byungchan about coughs up a lung at that. "Seriously?" his eyes are watering, too, fantastic. "Why would you... need to be scent-marked by me then? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Sejun lifts his shoulders and then drops them. "It wouldn't be a bad thing for me to wear some of your scent. To seal the deal and all. But if you're trying to say you want me to jerk off onto you, then I'm certainly not complaining." 

The mental image that conjures does nothing to cool his arousal. Now all Byungchan is thinking of is sticky white substance coating defined abs and cherry red lips, stretched into that oh-so-familiar smirk Sejun wears—

 _Fuck._ Bad thoughts, bad thoughts. Why is it that he can never tell whether Sejun is joking around or not? At the rate he's going, he'll have a heart attack before the age of thirty. His dick literally _hurts_ right now.

"How about we compromise?" Sejun suggests when Byungchan still hasn't said anything. "I get you off first, then you decide if you want to return the favor or not. I won't hold it against you or anything if you don't want to. I just..." he pauses, licks his dark pink lips. Byungchan can't help but follow the movement of his tongue with his eyes. "Really want to give you a friendly brojob."

"You say that one more time and I'm leaving, blue balls and all," Byungchan manages to pull out a disgruntled tone from somewhere, when all he really wants is to rut frantically against Sejun's thigh. "But... okay."

 _Friendly_ , he has to remind himself as he watches Sejun grin brightly and shimmy further down Byungchan's body so he can undo the fly of his jeans. It's all just friendly. Born out of, like, curiosity or something. That's it.

Still, no force in the universe is enough to prevent Byungchan from moaning wantonly when Sejun wraps his lips around the tip of his cock.

The alpha wastes no time, that's for sure. He presses Byungchan’s hips to the bed with his hands and works him over with a careful tongue, mouth hot and wet around him, leaving the omega a whimpering mess underneath him.

Sejun laps at the beads of shiny precum leaking from Byungchan's slit, and then licks a thick stripe up the underside of his dick. The entire process makes Byungchan arch his hips off the bed without even knowing what he's doing, eyes falling shut as his head tilts back against the pillow. God is Sejun good at _friendly_ _brojobs_.

When the alpha pulls his mouth off, Byungchan lets out a loud whine. "Jun—"

"Slow down, baby-Byung," Sejun's lips are bright red, utterly debauched, but he's still dorning that annoyingly smug smile. "You have to come on me, remember? As much as I'd like to, I can't swallow this time."

He says 'this time' like it isn't the last. At this point in the proceedings, everything just seems overtly crazy to Byungchan and he really has to come, right now.

"S-so are you getting me off or not?" He tries to glare but his mouth ends up twisting into a pout, which nullifies the intimidating effect he'd been going for.

"Impatient, are we?" Sejun coos, but a hand slips down to stroke at Byungchan's dick. The omega's back curves as he arches into the touch, which Sejun watches with interest.

"You're pretty," he comments off-handedly but completely genuine, and Byungchan swears his stomach does a flip. Im Sejun is a fucking menace, that's what he is.

He jerks Byungchan off with quick, steady pumps of his hand, looking way too much like he's enjoying it all while he does. He even snickers at the choked groan of his name that Byungchan makes when Sejun rubs his thumb into his slit.

"You're insufferable, holy fuck," Byungchan finds the energy to muster, even as he finds himself teetering precariously on the edge.

"I'm only evil when it's you, you're way too cute," Sejun teases, and then ducks down to press a kiss at the tip of Byungchan's cock.

That does it. He's been coasting the edge for a while now, desperately looking for something to push him over, and the wicked smirk on Sejun's face when he toys with Byungchan is just _too much._

Byungchan truly doesn't remember what happened next. He thinks he blacked out for second there, and when he regains his wits Sejun has let go of him. 

Instead, he zeroes in on Sejun's fingers which are idly rubbing at the cum now spread all over the lean muscles of his torso. It's a whole fucking lot hotter than Byungchan thought it could be, and the sight has him averting his gaze lest his stupid body starts begging for round two.

"Well, now I'm going to smell like you for a week," Sejun says cheerfully, stretching out like a cat. He doesn't seem any different than he was before all this started. Byungchan can't quite claim the same. 

"Yours will probably wash off in a few days, though," Sejun reminds him, "But I think you're good for now." Ah yes, the scent-marking. That's what this is all about.

Sejun stands up off the bed and starts heading to the bathroom. "I'm gonna go get this off. You wanna set up the movies or something?"

Byungchan nods, albeit dazedly, but that seems to satisfy Sejun because he flashes another grin and disappears into the bathroom.

It's only after he's been gone for a good couple of minutes that Byungchan regains full body control and finally realises that he hadn't actually gotten the chance to repay the favor.

* * *

It takes the entirety of 'Alice in Wonderland' for Byungchan to calm down, get himself back under control, stop thinking about how good Sejun looks with his pretty red lips stretched around—shit, he's thinking about it _again_.

He wonders how Sejun can still seem so normal afterwards. He doesn't show any sign of being affected by what they just did, acting the same as he always does. He throws popcorn at 'Lady and the Tramp', urging them to just kiss already; almost starts crying at that one scene in 'Bambi; even sings along to 'Over the Rainbow' with Judy Garland when they dig 'Wizard of Oz' out.

He's still being Sejun in that oddly endearing way, and Byungchan's brain is a mess of too many thoughts. It's a bit difficult to marry the situation from before to the one now and still know exactly how to proceed.

They finish up at their Disney marathon at about 3 in the morning, when they're both too tired to even keep their eyes open, and go to sleep curled up in Sejun's bed with promises of continuing when they wake up. Well, Sejun goes right to sleep, wrapped around Byungchan because he'd won the rock-paper-scissors game that decided who would be the big spoon.

Meanwhile, Byungchan takes a much longer time to drift off, the weight of Sejun warm and steady against him. Right before he shuts his eyes, he finds himself absentmindedly thinking that it'd be nice waking up to this.

Byungchan doesn't, in fact, wake up to the sweet comfort of Sejun pressed against him, nice and toasty in his embrace. Well, okay, he does. But it's something else that catches his attention first.

More specifically, the hand sneaking up underneath his shirt to rest on his bare stomach. Even more specifically, the way Sejun is moaning softly into his ear and _rutting_ his hips forward against the omega.

It's all very distracting, to say the least, especially with how he can _feel_ Sejun's arousal through his sweatpants. Byungchan finds himself holding his breath, voice a soft whisper cutting through the room. "Sejun?"

There's no reply, and Byungchan cranes his head as far as he can without jostling or compromising anything to look. Sejun's eyes are still closed, and it crosses Byungchan's mind that his best friend might be dreaming.

It's only when Sejun moans again and Byungchan deciphers his own name somewhere in the mix that his mind suddenly snaps to attention. He knows what he wants. Carefully, Byungchan shifts his hips, grinding back against Sejun smoothly.

The alpha growls at that, a desperate sound torn from his throat that almost makes Byungchan whimper. He knows that his body is not indifferent to all this attention, the blood rushing down south no matter how hard he tries to control his reaction to the pheromones. Distantly, he wonders if his own brilliant plan is going to backfire on himself.

He can tell the exact moment that Sejun wakes up, because he freezes completely. Byungchan doesn't, though, continuing the slow rhythm of his hips undulating against Sejun's.

"Byung?" Sejun's voice rings clear through the room, much louder than the quiet little moans he'd been making earlier. Byungchan stops only when Sejun puts a hand on his hip and grips tightly, halting the movement of his body completely. He lays perfectly still, making sure to steady his breathing so his chest rise and falls like he's still asleep.

He hears Sejun swear under his breath, and then the warmth of his body disappears as he gets up off the bed. Byungchan tries not to feel disappointed, because he's actually super gleeful that he managed to mess Sejun up. The door to the bathroom closes with a gentle click, and only then does Byungchan deem it safe to sit up and do a little victory dance in bed.

He  _loves_ getting back at Sejun. The only problem now is... he glances down and winces at how the fabric of his boxers are tented sharply.

Now he just has to will his annoying boner away before Sejun comes back.

* * *

The rest of their Disney marathon weekend goes on without a hitch. Nothing less-than-innocent happens, and everything is (ironically) Disney-appropriate. Byungchan goes home on Sunday evening sated and content, ready to take on the week ahead.

School goes by. He finishes an Economics test on Tuesday and lugs a grumpy Subin home with him because the younger boy is 'tired' and effectively sexiled from his own house by his older brother Seungsik and his boyfriend. Who is, in Subin's words, annoyingly perfect.

"Like, he goes to the gym at least six times a week. At least!" Subin stresses the last two words, as if he's concerned that Byungchan hadn't heard him properly. Byungchan nods along, shouldering the door open and letting Subin inside.

"And he makes really good coffee too," Subin pouts, plopping down on the sofa. "It's annoying."

"Isn't that because he works as a barista?" Byungchan questions, going into the kitchen to pick up milk and two glasses. "You told me once. Also, not to interrupt you or anything, but you're kind of starting to sound like you're jealous of your brother."

"I don't want to date Seungwoo!" Subin rebuffs immediately, looking alarmed. "Ew. He and Seungsik together are like my second set of parents. It's just annoying how perfect he is."

"So in other words, you're lonely," Byungchan surmises, handing a glass of milk over to Subin. The younger boy downs it like he's taking a shot, then holds his glass out for more.

"I am not," he mutters, but there's no conviction behind his words. 

Byungchan pats him comfortingly. "That's normal. We all want someone to wait for us after class and to watch copious amounts of Disney with and to cheer us on every day..."

He trails off, realizing that Subin is giving him a strangely knowing look. "Sounds oddly specific to me."

"Shut up," is the only weak response Byungchan can give. 

Subin shrugs. "Hey, if you're happy, no judgement, though you even sound whipped. Anyway, we all knew you were in love with Sejun anyway."

Had it really been that obvious? Byungchan opens his mouth to ask, but he's cut off by the sound of the doorbell vibrating through the house.

Vowing to continue this conversation later, Byungchan goes to open the door. He's greeted with the familiar sight of Chan, Sejun's second-in-command in the pack, bearing a large load of several hoodies and shirts. Sejun's scent is so deeply infused into the clothes that Byungchan feels downright assaulted by it, in an overwhelming but good way.

"Hurry up, will you? My arms are falling asleep," Chan whines at him. Even though he's older than Byungchan's best friend by a few months and is also an alpha, he has an immature streak and is also a lot more mischievous than Sejun. 

 "Okay, okay," Byungchan steps aside so Chan can come in and dump the clothes on the kitchen counter.

"Seriously, I don't remember acting as delivery boy for odd objects between your house and Sejun's being in the job scope," Chan complains, stretching his back. 

"Even if it were, you wouldn't have gotten the chance to quit," Byungchan informs him. "Sejun loves you too much to let you go."

"He loves taunting me, is what he does," the alpha mutters, but he's smiling nonetheless. He's known Sejun since they were about ten years old, and while Byungchan's record with him is still longer, Chan is close to him too.

"You're very appreciated by him. Incessant whining and all," Byungchan has to dodge the kick Chan aims at him for that.

"Don't be getting jealous, now," Chan lectures, but then his eyes widen and he stops talking completely.

"Um, Chan?" Byungchan waves a hand in front of his face. "You okay? Has Chan.exe stopped working?"

"Byungchan," Chan hisses out the corner of his mouth, "Why is Jung Subin here?" Byungchan understands, following his line of sight to where Subin is engrossed in the TV, laid out on the sofa.

"He's my friend?" Byungchan answers, a bit confused. "You know him?"

"Yeah, we're in the same pack," Chan says, looking a little tense. Byungchan really should've realised that, in retrospect.

"Well, do you want to go say hi?" he offers, not knowing what else to do.

Chan shakes his head vehemently, starting to back away towards the door. His ears have gone pink. "No. No, I'm fine. I'll just leave before he-"

And then Subin looks up and glances right at them, his nose wrinkling like he's just caught a whiff of the new scent. He smiles, getting up to head towards them, Byungchan is not prepared for when Chan practically shrinks back.

"Hey Channie! What are you doing here?" Subin greets cheerfully.

_Channie?_

"Oh, uh, I was just bringing Sejun some stuff from Byungchan. Wait, I mean bringing Byungchan stuff from Sejun. Yeah." In all his years knowing Chan, Byungchan has never seen him stumble over his own words like this. That boy is nothing if not slick.

"That's nice of you," Subin beams at the alpha, and Byungchan can almost see Chan melt. "Are you going to stick around?"

"N-no, I should be getting going. Get going. Um. Bye!" Chan's ears are so red by now that Byungchan kind of wants to take a picture. For future blackmail purposes, of course.

"I'll walk out with you," he offers, trying to hold back the evil little chuckle building in his chest. Sejun is definitely rubbing off on him— _wait_. Wrong choice of words.

Subin waves goodbye, heading back to his couch. Byungchan absolutely doesn't miss the way Chan's gaze lingers on the small omega as he walks away, before he's escaping out the door. Byungchan follows him to his car, where he leans against the door and puts his head in his hands.

"Warn a guy next time, will you?" Chan's muffled voice comes out from his fingers.

"Well, I didn't know that you have such a massive crush on Subin," Byungchan argues back, relishing in the way Chan's ears just blush redder at that. "When did that happen anyway?"

"I've known him for a while. Ran with him a few times already," Chan mutters, fanning himself. "He's so cute, how can you not like him? And he's so sweet too, I just..."

"Well, why don't you ask him out?" Byungchan suggests because he feels like being helpful today.

"I want to! I will—eventually," Chan tacks on at the end hastily, like he's losing his nerve. 

Byungchan has to roll his eyes. "Come on, it's not that hard."

"Well, why don't you ask Sejun out then?" Chan fires back, and suddenly the two of them are at a standstill.

Byungchan clears his throat, "I see your point."

"Good," Chan sighs. "I'll get to it, really. But you should too." He opens his car door. "I have to get back. See you next week?"

The omega nods and then watches Chan start the engine and head off down the road. He gets it, the feeling of uncertainty, but it's always been easier to look at other people than look at himself.

Still, when he goes back in, Byungchan can't help but remark to a very confused Subin, "Hey, I don't think you'll be lonely for much longer."

* * *

The day after his last mid-term exam, Byungchan knows something's off. There's been an uncomfortable heat blooming at the very pit of his stomach all day, and he's restless and fidgety. It doesn't help that he also knows that his scent has gotten stronger, his body exuding the sort of pheromones that makes anyone with a particularly sharp sense of smell glance at him.

It gets worse as the day wears on, but Byungchan swears to himself that he's going to at least get through this last day, seeing as he's probably going to be out of commission for the rest of the week. It's just the fate he has to live with, the cycle repeating every couple of months.

Although, now that he thinks about it, he probably should've taken a rain check on the 'scent-marking with Sejun' thing today. He'd gone to Sejun twice more after the first time, when he'd felt that the scent was wearing off a little. Sejun indulged him both times, but thankfully nothing as intense as what happened the first time occurred again. Mostly it was because Byungchan had only a little time to spare before he had to rush off to study for exams.

This time, Byungchan takes it slow on the way to Sejun's house. He's finally feeling a little freer after the conclusion of his mid-terms (at least until he has to start studying for finals) and he can feel his body trying to get him to relax in preparation for the culmination of his heat cycle.

He slips into Sejun's house and wanders upstairs, pausing to greet his mother in her study. He finds Sejun hunched over his desk, scribbling away at important looking documents with his glasses perched on his nose.

"Hey, are you busy?" Byungchan stops at the doorway to Sejun's room, deciding to check in first before he goes about taking his shirt off and everything.

"Hm?" Sejun looks up. His eyes are bleary and he looks tired, but he still smiles at Byungchan. "Hi baby-Byung. I‘m not, is it scenting time?"

Byungchan nods, closing the door. The alpha puts his glasses on the desk, yawning a little as he gets up to stretch. When he's satisfied, Sejun moves to sit on his bed and crooks a finger at Byungchan. "Come on, strip babe."

"Did you have to?" Byungchan puts on an annoyed air for effect, but he still starts unbuttoning his shirt. "Also, 'babe'?"

"Baby-Byung gets too long to say sometimes," Sejun shrugs lightly. His eyes are fixed on Byungchan's torso, being uncovered bit by bit as the omega works at the buttons.

"Jeez, are you planning on taking that off today? Are you trying to put on a show or something?" Sejun's voice is teasing, as he leans back with his elbows on the bed like he's  _watching_ a show.

"Just because you said that, I'm going to go even slower," Byungchan retorts, and then makes a huge show of sliding a button through the hole at a snail's pace. If snails had buttons, that is. 

Sejun only smirks, casting his gaze lasciviously up and down Byungchan's body. "You don't wanna do that," he warns and  _how_ does his voice gone from light and jokey to deep and husky at a moment's notice? That's crazy. It'll drive Byungchan crazy at some point.

A shiver runs through his spine, and for some goddamn reason the heat pooling in his gut flares up suddenly. It's enough to make Byungchan gasp, feeling light-headed.

That's no comparison to the reaction Sejun has. All of a sudden the alpha is sitting up, his eyes turning a dark carmine and his gaze sharpening. He stares right at Byungchan, growling in the back of his throat.

"Are you going into heat?" his voice is low, a hand clenched against the sheets in an effort to control himself. Byungchan can only nod.

The pheromones hit Byungchan a second later, attacking his senses and making him sway on the spot, the effect on his body instantaneous. The scent of Sejun's arousal is fucking addictive, and it makes Byungchan whimper his name, mind clouding with utter need.

He stumbles towards the alpha without really knowing what he's doing, he would've fallen over if Sejun hadn't caught him by the shoulders. The contact makes Byungchan's body sing with delight, and he all but throws himself onto Sejun's lap. "Please, please _—"_

"Byungchan, don't." If he'd been in any right state of mind, he would've realized how strained Sejun's voice is, how he's barely restraining himself from throwing the omega onto his bed and just _—_

Byungchan grinds his hips down, almost sighing in relief at the feel of Sejun's quickly-growing bulge against his. He can feel the slick dripping out of him, and the heat in his body rages on, refusing to be quenched until he's full to the fucking bursting.

"Fuck me, Sejun please," Byungchan pleads, pressing his lips to the underside of Sejun's jaw. He smells so _good_. "Please I need you, can you just please _knot_ _me_ —"

Sejun's body reacts before he can stop it. The next moments go by in a blur, and when he finally regains some semblance of control over himself, Byungchan is spread out on the bed while Sejun hovers above him. The omega's shirt is ripped open, and the deadly sweet scent of his heat is completely enveloping him.

It's the slightly feral look in Byungchan's eyes that makes Sejun force himself to back away. This is  _not_ Byungchan in any right state of mind. He won't do this. Sejun repeats this in his head like a mantra while he gets up off the bed, ignoring the way Byungchan is whimpering, his hips arching off the bed in search of friction, the beginnings of tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he begs—

Sejun runs. He bursts out the door and down to the study, where he almost rips the door off its hinges flinging it open. It's all he can do to tell his shocked-looking mother to please check on Byungchan, his tone panicked, before he has to dash off again. 

Sejun sprints the entire way to Byungchan's house, determined to hide out there until the urge to fuck Byungchan senseless, until he's clawing red marks down Sejun's back and screaming his name, goes away completely.

It's a good thing Byungchan's mother likes him. So long as she can't read his mind, that is.

* * *

"It's okay, drink more water," Sejun's mother soothes, wiping Byungchan's forehead with a cold wet cloth. She'd been taking care of him for a while now, bringing him water and towels, making sure his body doesn't get overheated. Byungchan counts himself lucky that she'd been around this time, and knew exactly how to handle heats.

He's regained some restraint, and is sipping at a glass of iced water in an attempt to cool his body down. It's not working all that well, his body still screams at him to find his alpha (no, not _an_ alpha. His alpha. Sejun. This scares the everloving fuck out of Byungchan, but he doesn't exactly have the capacity to analyze it now). 

Sejun's mother promises that after he's gotten past the initial first stage, which included burning up to dangerous levels and almost losing any sense of rationality, she'll leave him alone to take care of himself. It's awkward hearing it from her, because well he's known her since he was a toddler and she's just like his second mother. It's just weird. However, he's still infinitely grateful that she understands.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Byungchan poses the question tentatively.

"He called just now to say he's at your house and your mom is letting him stay over for as long as he needs to," she answers ruefully. "I don't want to get involved between you two, but I am sorry if he did anything you didn't want him to."

"He didn't. Not at all," Byungchan finds his voice coming out in a whisper, partly because he's embarrassed as hell. "It's... it wasn't anything like that."

She studies him for a while, then sighs. "I didn't think I'd still be dealing with this when you two were already adults. Honestly your mom and I always just end up talking about the two of you whenever we meet for lunch."

Byungchan really, really doesn't know what to say to that.

"And just so you know," she adds as she gets up to refill his glass of water. "We've always thought that you looked cute together."

* * *

The heat breaks after three agonizing days. Byungchan spends most of this time curled up in Sejun's bed, watching dramas until a wave of heat kicks in and he has to jerk himself off with quick thrusts, coming with gasps of Sejun's name. He always makes sure to do it in the bathroom, though, so any evidence can be cleanly washed away.

When it gets really bad, he kneels on the floor of the shower and fucks himself back onto his fingers, imagining Sejun's fingers in place of his own, his teeth nibbling at the shell of Byungchan's ear. Whenever he brings Sejun into the equation, Byungchan gets off almost embarrassingly fast.

Sejun's mother gives him a hug before he goes, and he thanks her profusely for all her help. She's even given him some of Sejun's clothes to wear, so he walks out feeling new and refreshed rather than a hot mess.

There's nobody home when he gets there. Byungchan knows that his parents know where he's been the past few days, and will come back to fuss over him in the evening. When he gets to his room, though, Sejun's scent is _everywhere_. It permeates the entire room, seeping from his pillows and sheets, wafting through the bathroom like it belongs there.

With a groan, Byungchan flops onto his bed and buries his face in the pillow. He's so royally screwed.

He doesn't see Sejun for days after that. The alpha isn't waiting for him after class or in his room when he gets home from school. He even stops texting Byungchan, which is honestly so weird. Byungchan finds himself expecting to see a 'good morning baby-byung!!^~^' lighting up his phone screen, which doesn't come.

He does, however, live with Sejun's scent in every corner of his room for those days. It's like having a phantom of his best friend. Byungchan can't say he likes it, but at the same time he doesn't know what would be better. He knows he can't expect things to just go back to normal after that whole heat episode, but at the same time this is nearly too awkward for him to handle.

He gets mopier as the days pass and he still doesn't see Sejun. At least, that's what his friends tell him. He's taken to spamming their group chat with sad emojis. Hanse scoffs at him in person and tells him it's like he's broken up with his boyfriend and is having withdrawal symptoms.

Truthfully, Byungchan doesn't know what he would do if he did see Sejun. Act like nothing happened at all or confess everything in one breath? His feelings are all conflicted and what he really just wants to do is cuddle with Sejun and watch all the Despicable Me movies and spinoffs in one go. But then, he also kind of wants Sejun to turn his head and kiss him while the ending credits roll, wants Sejun's hand snaking down his body to tease at the skin right above the hemline of his jeans...

He wants like... a romantic best friend?

 _Boyfriend._ That's what he wants. He's just beginning to wrap his head around the term, trying to connect it with Sejun. And honestly, all the pieces fall into place too perfectly, making the longing feeling in his chest grow. He misses Sejun so _much_. 

Byungchan picks up his phone, goes to the messaging app and starts to type.

* * *

**[group chat: 3** **members]** **The Grape Gang**

 **baby byung:** guys

 **baby byung:** i want sejun to be my boyfriend

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** oh really

 **subin is gay!!!:** we never would've thought

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** congratulations, you made it

 

 **baby byung:** what's with your screen names

 **baby byung:** anyway

 **baby byung:** you guys gotta help me idk what to do???

 **baby byung:** he's not talking to me :'(

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** well, subin is gay

 **subin is gay!!!:** also, i might point out that your own screen name is a nickname your boyfriend gave you

 **subin is gay!!!:** what do you want us to do lol

 

 **baby byung:** i knew that but

 **baby byung:** don't call him my boyfriend

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** see you're impossible

 **subin is gay!!!:** it's fuckin terrible

 **subin is gay!!!:** just grow a pair and ask him out

 

 **baby byung:** i need a secondary opinion

 **baby byung:** where's subin

 **baby byung:** he lives off drama how is he not lapping at his phone screen right now

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** first of all ew

 **hanse is straight!!!:** second i'm busy

 **hanse is straight!!!:** so shut up assholes

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** busy? doin what? 

 **subin is gay!!!:** wink wonk

 

 **baby byung:** what's wrong with you dude

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** what's wrong with _you_ man

 **subin is gay!!!:** come on you've been dating sejun for like

 **subin is gay!!!:** ten years

 **subin is gay!!!:** which is like, half of the entire time you've been alive

 

 **baby byung:** that is not true

 **baby byung:** remember when i had that straight phase

 **baby byung:** i definitely didn't think of him like that then

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** you're a dirty liar

 **subin is gay!!!:** i heard the way you talked about him

 **subin is gay!!!:** like he has the sun shining out his ass

 

 **baby byung:** he has a very nice ass

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** oh my god

 **hanse is straight!!!:** can both of you shut up

 **hanse is straight!!!:** my date's looking actually concerned because my phone keeps buzzing

 **hanse is straight!!!:** and i can't stop glaring at this inanimate object bc you're both being annoying

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** wait

 

 **baby byung:** date?????

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** BOI

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** fuck off now

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** how come you never mentioned this

 **subin is gay!!!:**  “‘“date”’”

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** cause i didn't want you guys mauling him

 **hanse is straight!!!:** and don't type date like that

 **hanse is straight!!!:** he's my boyf so it's legit a date

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** oh

 **subin is gay!!!:** well fuck me

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** no thanks

 

 **baby byung:** pass

 **baby byung:** but omg subin

 **baby byung:**  how come you never told us

 

 **hanse is straight!!!** : cause i don't share every detail of my love life?

 

 **subin is gay!!!:** oh

 **subin is gay!!!** : oH OH

 **subin is gay!!!** : SHADE

 

 **baby byung:** ouch

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** and also i knew you guys would get all weird and scare him off

 **hanse is straight!!!:** for the record i agree with hanse

 **hanse is straight!!!** : just ask sejun out dumbass

 

 **baby byung:** wow

 **baby byung:** i'm gonna tell chan you've broken his heart bye

 

 **hanse is straight!!!:** lol

 **hanse is straight!!!:** channie _is_ my date

 

Byungchan almost drops his phone in shock. Since when did  _that_ happen? He looks back down at his screen, mouth open in genuine awe. He has half a mind to spam Subin with questions, but the younger boy has set his status to 'BUSY' and Byungchan is willing to bet he's not going to come back for at least three hours.

Well shit. If Chan, who'd been a stuttering mess around Subin the last time Byungchan checked, had managed to get up the nerve to ask him out, then there's no reason Byungchan can't... can't just drop by Sejun's house. Right? He's not hoping for a miracle. He just wants to let it go where it'll go.

And so, Byungchan heads out the door and in the direction of Sejun's house with no set plan except for the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

* * *

Alright. So maybe coming over with no clue what to do wasn't the best idea he's ever had.

Byungchan sits cross-legged on Sejun's bed, while the alpha sits stiffly across from him. He doesn't ever remember there being a time when things were awkward between him and Sejun, but apparently this is it.

There's silence for a few more moments before Sejun finally clears his throat and breaks it. "So. Um. Were you okay, in the end?" he skirts around the topic like it's a vat of acid, and one wrong move could send him tumbling in.

"Oh, yeah. Your mom was great. I-it was okay," Byungchan shifts on the bed sheets, uncomfortable. Sejun won't meet his eye. 

"That's good," he murmurs quietly.

At this point, Byungchan decides to dive into the vat of acid. "Hey, um, I'm really sorry about that day. I should've known it would happen and stayed away. So... I'm sorry."

Sejun looks at him, seeming bewildered. "What? Are you apologizing for going into _heat?_ Which you can't control?" He frowns, scoots a little closer to Byungchan. "You don't ever have to apologize to me. Unless you eat my food or murder someone. But even then I'd still forgive you and help you hide the body."

He sighs and runs a hand through his blonde hair. "Look, what happened is not your fault. It's just nature. Honestly, it was bound to happen sometime with the amount of time we spent together. Which is kind of why I need to tell you something."

 _That_ sounds ominous. Byungchan stares at his best friend, trying to memorize every plane of his face and line of his body, just in case Sejun says something terribly stupid like—

"I think we should stop being around each other."

Like _that_.

Byungchan's mouth falls open in shock, and his body kind of freezes. "You—what?"

Sejun's lips are set in a firm line, his stance unyielding. "You should stop coming over to my house. I should stop looking for you at school. We should just stop spending time together completely. It's not good."

"Not good?" Byungchan feels his stomach roil unpleasantly, like he's about to be sick. "You think it's not good? That we've been friends for most of our lives? You want to just cut it off like that? I get it if you want to just forget these entire past few weeks happened. I will too, and I'll even go find another alpha whose scent I can hide behind. But..." he stops for breath, suddenly feeling devastatingly helpless.

"I don't know what life is like without you, and I don't want to know," Byungchan states, knowing he sounds like a cheesy drama character and not caring because it's just _true_. "I want you to trash me at Mario Kart, cry at Disney movies and stay up till three in the morning talking about everything from Greek mythology to the latest episode of Game of Thrones with me. Oh my god, Sejun, I _love_ you."

And here is where he snaps his mouth shut, trains his eyes on the bed sheet and wishes with all his heart that he can spontaneously burst into flames.

It's quiet. He can't even hear himself breathe, and he has the superhuman ears of a wolf.

"Fuck, baby-Byung," Sejun finally says. Byungchan doesn't dare look up. "You're gonna make me cry."

Then Byungchan feels fingers on his chin, tilting his face upwards and suddenly Sejun's lips are on his and Byungchan feels like he _has_ finally gained the ability to combust on the spot.

It seems like an eternity, with the way Sejun pushes and pushes until Byungchan is lying back on the bed, until he's short of breath and craving more. He about whines when Sejun begins to pull away, and insistently loops his arms around Sejun's neck to no avail because apparently oxygen is more important.

Sejun laughs, though, his mouth a hair's breadth away from Byungchan's. "Why didn't you tell me all that earlier? Byungchan, I love you too, and your scent has been driving me crazy for months since you matured."

"Huh, what? My scent? You do?" Byungchan mumbles intelligently, brain still fried from whatever the hell happened in the past few minutes.

"It's why I wanted to stop seeing you so much," Sejun says earnestly. "Your scent has been everywhere in my room since your last heat. I realised that I couldn't keep hiding it from you if we stayed friends, so I—"

"You're an idiot," Byungchan answers, but he leans up and presses another kiss to Sejun's mouth because he fucking can. "Cute, sure, but a total idiot."

The alpha makes a sound of protest. "Hey, if you'd smelled your scent the way I did while simultaneously finding every part of you perfect and everything you do adorable, you wouldn't be able to stand it either. It felt like the truth was going to rip free any second and then you'd reject me and we'd end on so much worse terms."

"Yet here we are," Byungchan reminds him, and Sejun downright  _giggles._

"Here we are," he agrees and then  _honest to god_ boops Byungchan's nose. "Fuck you're beautiful."

"Weirdo," Byungchan wrinkles his nose, but he can't help the smile on his face that just won't go away. "What does my scent smell like?"

Sejun buries his face in Byungchan's neck, and it feels so nice that the latter doesn't even call him out for seriously  _breathing_ _in_ his scent. "Smells like _mine_ ," he murmurs, his breath tickling Byungchan's skin.

He wants to laugh, giddy with this mixture of happiness and relief and love. So he does, and after a moment Sejun laughs with him, then they're both rolling around on the bed breathless with mirth.

"We're both such idiots," Sejun admits once he's calmed down, lips still curled into a grin. 

"You're right," Byungchan chuckles, rolling over onto his stomach. A sudden thought occurs to him, reminding him how they'd gotten to this point in the first place. "I can't believe it took me going into heat for us to realise."

Sejun makes a face, "Yeah. That sucked. Especially when you were begging for me." He shoots Byungchan a playful smirk, letting him know he's just teasing.

In return, Byungchan schools his features into a coy expression, resting his chin on his clenched fist as he looks straight at Sejun. "Does that mean next time you'll knot me properly?" he blinks innocently, eyelashes fluttering.

He thinks he hears a soft growl leave Sejun's throat, before the older is inching towards him.

"Why wait till next time?"


End file.
